I have to be creative every day or I get depressed. I have been this way since before I was old enough to go to school. Things are so polarized these days that visual art can be a respite from all that. Shapes, colors, and reflections do not have to represent beliefs or opinions. They can take us away from all that and find their way into our hearts. Or at least allow us to meet in a quiet place. Beauty is intrinsically valuable and does not have to mean something exterior to what it is.fa

Mainly I work with metal for anything from a painting to hang on a wall to a free standing sculpture for outside, using copper, stainless steel, and steel. Often my colors come from exposing the metal to fire and acid, but sometimes I use paint or dye and sometimes on materials other than metal.

The main thing that supports me is making monuments to peace for campuses, parks and church yards. I rarely show those here at Pendleton. But you can see a granite one of mine in Beech Acres Park here in Cincinnati. Just search on "beech acres park peace pole" to see pictures and get directions. Or go to my site peace-pole.com to see that and others. Or go to joel.com to see my other work.